We love holidays around here. There just never seems to be enough of them each year, so we have decided to create a few extra ones. Throughout the offseason, we will be periodically dedicating 24 hours of front page space to celebrate various Suns players in commentary, trivia, and YouTube videos. Unfortunately, your boss probably won't give you a day off for these "holidays", but at least you can enjoy watching highlights of your favorite Suns doing what they do best.

Here are the ones we have done so far:

• Amare Stoudemire Part 1 and Part 2
• Shawn Marion Part 1 and Part 2
• Leandro Barbosa Part 1 and Part 2
• Raja Bell Part 1 and Part 2
• Boris Diaw Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
• Grant Hill Part 1 and Part 2
• Steve Nash Part 1 and Part 2

Our seventh, and final "player holiday" continues with Steve Nash Day Part 2. For anyone who missed Part 1, the link is here.

Before we get to the visuals, here are a few comments from readers. I'm chopping a few of them short to save space, so be sure to check out the full comments here.

From PurplePinoy:

From JSun: From Fayhis556:

Before we begin with the YouTubes, let me just say that this was the toughest time I have had to date trying to narrow down a small enough selection to keep the post from being obnoxiously long and slow to load. As a result, a few that I really wanted to include didn't make the cut. I will list the links at the bottom under an "Also Recommended" heading.

We'll start off with Steve's three-pointer that sent the Suns' Game 6 against Dallas in the 2005 playoffs into overtime (and an eventual Suns series-clinching victory). You'll also see Dirk Nowitzki screaming at Jason Terry afterwards for playing...um...less than stellar defense.:

Next up are NBATV's top 10 Steve Nash plays for 2006. I am proud to say I got to witness #7 and #5 in person.

Here are Steve's 23 assists against the Lakers in the 2007 playoffs-one shy of the all-time playoff record:

This one is the "In My Own Words" feature from last season. Check out the wrestling match between Mark Cuban and one of the refs about 3:50 in:

Lastly, here is a mix entitled "Devoted", which is perfect for the Suns MVP. As usual, it makes his teammates look good too:

Also Recommended:

• Another clutch three from what is to date my favorite regular season NBA game ever
• Carving up the Cavaliers with 21 assists
• Steve kicks it into the basket from half court.
• The Steve-to-Amare header dunk from the 2005 All-Start dunk contest.
• And for those who disagree with me that the Nets game three pointer was better, here is the one against Dallas last March.

The NBA season officially begins tonight, however, for Suns fans, we have to wait until Thursday to see our favorite team in action. That leaves time to squeeze in one more player "holiday" before the real fun begins. We will close out these features for now with 24 hours of posts dedicated to the ring leader of the Suns' Magnificent Seven (my name for Mike D'Antoni's "seven starters"), two-time MVP Steve Nash.

As usual, today's post will include some facts and trivia, and tomorrow, we'll follow up with a second post featuring reader-suggested YouTubes and commentary. So break out those keyboards and shoot me over your favorite videos, or share your thoughts in the comments.

A Few Quick Facts about Steve Nash (from Wikipedia, Suns.com, Steve's NBA player profile page, and other sources):

Full Name: Steven John Nash

Birth Date: February 7, 1974 (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 178lbs

College: Santa Clara

Trivia:

• Is a three-time MVP--twice in the NBA and once as a teenager playing soccer in British Columbia.
• Was booed on draft night by Suns fans hoping to land a bigger name with their 15th pick.
• Was also booed in Dallas when he first started playing there.
• Was traded to Dallas in June 1998. The Suns used the 1999 first round pick acquired in the deal to draft Shawn Marion.
• Is the lowest-drafted player ever to win NBA MVP as well as the first Canadian.
• Joined Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Mark Price as the fourth player ever to to shoot better than 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line. (Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki became the fifth player to accomplish this feat in 2006-07).
• Has a tiger named after him. (video here)
• Has the third highest free throw percentage in NBA history. Ironically, it was a narrow miss on free throw percentage (.899) in 2006-07 that kept him from repeating the 50% FG/40% 3PT/90% FT feat.

Lastly, here is a recent article that appeared in New York Times PLAY Magazine.

Poll

Steve Nash will play...

• Until he is 40
• Until he completes his current contract
• Until he wins a championship
• For as long as he physically can

  82 votes | Results

Grant Hill Day continues with some YouTubes featuring Grant mostly from his days with the Pistons and the Magic. Next time we do one of these, we should have some YouTubes of him playing in a Suns uniform, but for now, we'll have to settle for video from his prior teams. For anyone who missed Part 1, the link is here.

First up is a mix suggested by jasonsuns1 in an earlier diary. This features Grant from his days as a Piston. Check out that spinning, half-court shot near the beginning! Oh, and note to any readers savvy at creating YouTubes: I would love to have a general Suns YouTube mix set to this song after the season if the Suns win it all. This is perfect for Mike D'Antoni's "enjoy the journey" edict:

Here's another one from jasonsuns1. This is an interview Suns.com did with Grant shortly after he signed his contract.

Next up, a highlight reel of Grant from his Pistons and Magic days.

Here's another mix. This one features a smorgasborg of highlights from Grant's Duke days as well as Pistons and Magic. Watch closely for the picture of Grant as a little kid near the beginning.

Finally, this is as close as we're going to get to a YouTube of Grant playing in a Suns uniform until after the season starts. Here are highlights from the recent preseason game against Denver. He has a couple of nice plays in this one, including a monster block that led to layup by Alando Tucker.

It's time for another player "holiday" at Bright Side of the Sun. This time, we will focus on Suns newcomer/long-time NBA veteran Grant Hill. We'll kick things off with this facts and trivia post, and tomorrow (make that later today), we'll follow up with a second post featuring reader-suggested YouTubes and comments. Without further ado...

A Few Quick Facts about Grant Hill (from Wikipedia, Suns.com, Grant's NBA player profile page, and other sources):

Full Name: Grant Henry Hill

Birth Date: October 5, 1972 (Dallas, Texas)

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 225lbs

College: Duke

Trivia:

• His father played for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.
• Won the collegiate version of Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
• Shared NBA Rookie of the Year with Jason Kidd in 1995.
• Was the first rookie ever to get the most votes for an All-Star game.
• Led the NBA in triple-doubles in 1995-96.
• Has regular season career highs of 46 points, 18 rebounds, and 14 assists.
• Has never been past the first round of the playoffs.

Boris Diaw Day continues with the third and final installment, featuring YouTubes of Boris. For anyone who missed the first two, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

First up is a mix suggested via e-mail by jasonsuns1. This one focuses a lot on the "dish" part of Boris's "drive, dish, defend" motto. Notice who most of those passes are going to. (That would be you #31!):

Next up, we have another one sent by jasonsuns1, this time featuring more of the "dunk" (not officially part of Boris's 3D moniker, but maybe it should be?), and other varieties of scoring:

Here is Boris making a poster of that German guy who plays for the Mavericks:

Last, here is possibly my favorite 3D play to date. Boris passes it over his head to Amare:

Poll

Which player should we feature next?

• Steve Nash
• Grant Hill
• Brian Skinner
• Somebody else (let me know in the comments)

  6 votes | Results

Our impromptu Boris Diaw Day continues with some facts and trivia. In case you missed Part 1, find it here. Be sure to post your favorite 3D moments and YouTubes in the comments, then check back tomorrow evening for Part 3.

A Few Quick Facts about Boris (from Wikipedia, Suns.com, Boris's NBA player profile page and official website, and other sources):

Full Name: Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod

Birth Date: April 16, 1982 (Cormeilles, France)

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 230lbs

Official Website: BorisDiaw.com

Trivia:

• Is good friends with Spurs point guard Tony Parker, and was best man at his wedding.
• Is the son of Élisabeth Riffiod, one of the best centers in the history of French women's basketball, and Issa Diaw, who was a high jump champion in Senegal.
• Has a brother named Paco playing at Georgia Tech.
• Likes the number 13, Africa, photography, and cactus in Phoenix, among lots of other things.
• Is the first French player ever to record a triple-double in the NBA.
• One of only three players (LeBron James and Jason Kidd being the other two) to average at least six rebounds and six assists in the 2005-06 season.
• Originally intended to be a backup point guard when the Suns acquired him in 2005.
• Winner of the 2005-06 NBA Most Improved Player award
• His 3D nickname stands for "drive, dish, defend".

Also, be sure to check out Boris's biography (including photos of Boris as a child) on his official website.

Since both AZCentral and East Valley Tribune headed up their Suns coverage today with stories about Boris Diaw, this is as good a time as any to devote 24 hours of main page space to the guy who helped save the season two years ago with his Oscar-winning performance in the role of "mini-Amare". Besides, after what happened the last time we tried to do one of these, I'm eager to try another one and get that previous attempt behind me.

I have to admit, I didn't think much of Boris when the Suns first picked him up in the Joe Johnson trade two years ago. After all, what had the guy done in Atlanta? But I underestimated both Boris and Mike D'Antoni's creativity (not to mention Atlanta's ineptitude), and by the end of the season, I was referring to Boris (prematurely, as it turns out) as my "future favorite player" once Steve Nash retires. He has probably forever lost his "future favorite player" status--that quote in Jack McCallum's book kind of summed up how I felt about his play last season following the big contract: Like I had been "had". However, it's not too late for him to have a huge impact on this team and redeem himself in the eyes of both the Suns and the fans. Of all the players on the team, I really think that Boris has the potential to become the best. He has all the moves and could easily be a triple-double threat any time he wants. He just needs to find the desire that Steve, Amare, and others have to turn all that potential into a raging fire that does whatever the team needs in order to win. Plus he may just have the coolest (and most appropriate) nickname on the team.

We're going to do this player day a little differently than the others. Since Boris's nickname is 3D, we'll split this into three parts instead of two. The usual facts and trivia will be posted in Part 2 this evening, and the YouTube bonanza will go up tomorrow after readers have had some time to post their favorite YouTubes and other thoughts in the comments of the first two parts. And as always, we'll preempt if necessary should major news come along.

[Editor's Note: Ordinarily, I wouldn't recycle a post from just a few days ago, but like a couple of readers have pointed out, our official Raja Bell Day on Wednesday got utterly obliterated by the whole Shawn Marion debacle. And since I'm not in the mood to write yet another Marion piece, and I can't think of anything non-Marion-related to write about either at the moment (other than the upcoming start of training camp, the upcoming public scrimage, and the new look Suns.com), how about we re-run Raja Bell Day again over the weekend. In the meantime, if you are looking for more Marion stories, check out this piece by Steve Weinman at Taking it to the Rack. He has a great writeup about the awesome way some of our guys (including Raja) have come out in support of their wayward teammate this week. Enjoy and have a great weekend!]

Many, many thanks for all the YouTube recommendations posted in the comments for Part 1. In fact, this was the least amount of work I've had to do for one of these so far. We had enough user-suggested YouTubes that I didn't even need to go looking for any of my own! Several users also had some nice things to say about Raja as well. He is obviously a fan favorite around here.

From JSun about the Suns-Clippers Game 5 in the 2006 playoffs, where Raja nailed the buzzer-beating three that sent the game into overtime and an eventual Suns victory:

From PurplePinoy on that same buzzer-beater: From jasonsuns1: Paul Coro at AZCentral joined in on the fun with a Raja Bell-themed article of his own. (OK, that was probably a coincidence). As for me, my favorite Raja moment is one that probably won't ever show up on YouTube or even be remembered by most people. It happened in his first year with the Jazz after the Mavericks had failed to make any real effort to keep him following the 2002-03 season. It was the Mavericks' first game at Utah that season, and Raja had a career night as he led his new team to victory over his former one. It was clear he was absolutely having a blast. At one point, he was literally dancing as he headed off the floor during a timeout. It was one of those "victory is sweet" moments, made even sweeter in light of how hard it was for him to make a place for himself in the NBA.

First up on the YouTubes is the aforementioned buzzer-beater that sent that Suns-Clippers Game 5 into overtime. As someone who follows this team from afar, there are a handful moments every season that stand out as making me really wish I could have been there to see it in person. This one is near the top of the list. Thanks go to JSun for suggesting it and SwingMan for finding the link.

Next up, we have Raja Bell - Heart of a champion. I concur with SwingMan's assessment: AWESOME production on this one.

Lastly, here is that infamous Kobe clothesline you've all been waiting to see. I have to confess, I'm not as much a fan of this play as a lot of people are. While I'll admit it was satisfying to see Kobe (who may be my least favorite basketball player ever) hit the floor, this play could very well have caused serious injury and/or cost the Suns the series. However, I can't deny that it is a favorite among Suns fans, and I would be negligent not to include it on a post featuring YouTubes of Raja. So, here it is - feel free to hit "replay" as many times as you like. And thanks, SwingMan, for posting the link in the Part 1 comments!

In a belated birthday wish to Raja Bell, we will make him the subject of our latest Suns player "holiday". Raja, who turned 31 a few days ago, is a favorite among fans for his tenacity, long-range shooting, and all-around team play. He is an absolute pest on defense, and not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone, especially that kid who plays for the Lakers. He's also a threat on offense, tying Gilbert Arenas for a league-leading 205 made three-pointers this past season, while shooting them at a 41% clip. But perhaps his greatest asset to the Suns is his leadership in the locker room. Whenever the Suns find themselves slacking off, they can always count on Raja to rile them up again with one of his halftime speeches.

By now, most everyone reading this probably already knows the drill. This post is for facts, trivia, and general commentary, and tomorrow we'll follow that up with a second post featuring YouTubes and excerpts from your comments. So, hit me up with your favorite Raja Bell stories and YouTubes, then check back tomorrow evening for Part 2.

A Few Quick Facts about Raja (from Wikipedia, Suns.com, Raja's NBA player profile page, and other sources):

Full Name: Raja Dia Bell

Birth Date: September 19, 1976 (Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 210lbs

College: Florida International

Trivia:

• Got to the NBA the hard way after going undrafted out of college.
• His middle name means "champion", and it is also his son's name.
• Is a vegetarian.
• Has a tiger named after him. (video here)
• Has his own cheering section at the US Airways Center.
• Made 205 three-pointers in 2006-07, tying Gilbert Arenas for the lead.
• Was dining at Denny's in South Dakota when he got a call to join the 76ers.
• Winner of the 2005-06 Majerlie Hustle Award
• Made NBA All-Defensive first team for 2006-07

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, check out Suns.com's tour of Raja's home.

Poll

What is Raja Bell's greatest contribution to the Suns?

• Defensive tenacity
• Three-point shooting
• Heart and leadership

  40 votes | Results